It was barely past 8 a.m. in Donna Hutchinson’s class in Vista Middle School, but the room was buzzing. And not just from students’ excitement – there were literal buzzing noises coming from all the robots that students were building. 

The students’ assignment was to build a robotic arm that could pick up a plastic block from one side of a table to the other, and students were in various stages of achieving that goal. Hutchinson made her way through the desks, checking in on students’ progress and occasionally offering tips. She was particularly impressed with one eighth grader who built a more complex, precise arm with additional motors. 

“It’s always so fun watching them move beyond their assignment,” said Hutchinson. 

Hutchinson prefers a more hands-off approach to teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Students walk in and jump right into their assignments, instead of having Hutchinson explain things in a lecture. Her class imparts lessons of independence and responsibility just as much as science. 

“This is the best time to teach them these skills, because when they’re younger, they can’t quite grasp time management,” Hutchinson said. “But now they’re getting mature enough to realize they’re responsible for their output. Whatever they create is up to them.” 

She says her favorite moment of the day is “the a-ha moment you get when they figure something out for themselves.” 

Later that morning, a seventh grader’s gripping machine made out of plastic K’Nex pieces broke during testing. Hutchinson encouraged them to push forward. 

“That’s the engineering process: If something breaks, you rebuild!” she said. 

Hutchinson has been Vista’s STEM teacher since the middle school began offering the elective class in 2014. She said she loves how the class combines multiple subject areas to really make students stretch their brains. 

“We separate the subjects so much, that students tend to think, ‘When I’m in math class, I only do math,’” Hutchinson said. “Here, we do science, technology, engineering, and math. Robotics is one of the nicest ways to do that, plus the technology is fun.” 

Hutchinson said she didn’t grow up with a passion for robotics because the field barely existed when she grew up in the 1960s. (“The first time I saw a computer, I was 17 and it was as big as an entire room.”) But as soon as computers became more and more integrated into everyday life, she developed an interest in the subject. 

Hutchinson began her career in education by volunteering at North Bellingham Elementary in the mid-90s, when her children attended. This led her to becoming a paraeducator at Vista beginning in 2001, and eventually earning her teaching certificate. With the help of some of Ferndale High School’s career and technical education team, she developed a STEM curriculum for Vista students.  

Middle school is a great fit for Hutchinson. Not only does she love the videogame Minecraft, just like many of her students – she even has a pixelated ax keychain on her lanyard – but she also loves getting to witness her students figure out their identities while at Vista. 

““This is just a cool, creative time for them,” Hutchinson said. “Students get to learn who they are, and that’s why I like middle school so much.” 

Travis Brown, a science teacher at Vista (who used to have Hutchinson as a paraeducator in his class), said her passion for technology is passed down to her students. 

“She has a lot of patience, and I think she really cares about the kids,” Brown said of Hutchinson. “That’s her #1 thing.” 

Eighth grader Kero Shafek said he loves coming to Hutchinson’s class and creating robots and machines. 

“She gives us all the great tools that we need to build cool things,” he said. 

Seventh grader Nikayla Reynolds said Hutchinson single-handedly sparked her interest in STEM. 

“I’ll be honest – I had zero interest in this class before, but I love it now because of Ms. Hutchinson,” she said.